ONS: 08 August 2014

AFRICA: The WHO declared the Ebola outbreak in West Africa to be an international public health emergency demanding an “extraordinary” response.

AMERICAS: Colombian President Santos said peace talks could falter if FARC rebels do not halt attacks, as he was sworn in for a second term.

ASIA: US Secretary Kerry opened a second day of talks in Afghanistan aimed at preventing the country from collapsing into political chaos after disputed elections.

EUROPE: Ukraine said that rebels in the east had opened fire on a medical evacuation helicopter, injuring the three crew on board and forcing it to make an emergency landing.

MIDDLE EAST: Israeli PM Netanyahu ordered the military to retaliate after rocket attacks by Gaza Palestinian militants followed the end of a three-day truce.

TECHNOLOGY: Computer security experts said at this week’s hacker conference that the governments of 30 countries have voted to allow their municipal police departments to use malware in their arsenals of crime fighting tools.

TOP STORY

Iraq: US authorizes use of airstrikes to prevent ‘genocide’.

US President Obama said he had authorized US air strikes on Iraq and humanitarian supply drops to prevent a “genocide” by Islamist extremists against minorities.

US military planes flew over northern Iraq to drop relief supplies to thousands of civilian refugees fleeing attacks by Sunni extremist militants.

A US official said that “No air strikes have taken place at this time, but we remain postured to take targeted military action should the situation warrant it.”

British PM Cameron expressed concern about the situation in Iraq and welcomed US President Obama’s decision to authorize air strikes against extremists.

Region: The WHO declared the Ebola outbreak in West Africa to be an international public health emergency demanding an “extraordinary” response. (NYT)

Cameroon: Police and civilians reported that Boko Haram has recruited and trained hundreds of young Cameroonians to carry out attacks in their own country. (AFP)

Liberia: The US State Department ordered all eligible family members of US personnel to leave the American Embassy in Monrovia because of the Ebola outbreak. (AP)

Uganda: The government said it had placed a passenger with Ebola-like symptoms in isolation, and was waiting for test results. (AFP)

AMERICAS

Brazil: A new poll by IBOPE indicates that President Rousseff would win re-election in a likely second-round run-off in October, but main challenger Aecio Neves has narrowed her lead. (Reuters)

Brazil: A new law has come into force under which employers can be fined if they fail to register their domestic workers. (BBC)

Colombia: President Santos said peace talks could falter if FARC rebels do not halt attacks, as he was sworn in for a second term. (BBC)

ASIA

Afghanistan: US Secretary Kerry opened a second day of talks aimed at preventing the country from collapsing into political chaos after disputed elections. (AP)

Australia: PM Abbott said the country is preparing to tighten sanctions on Russia as he warned President Putin against sending his troops into Ukraine. (AFP)

Fiji: Opposition parties accused the ruling regime of stacking the deck against them by changing regulations for the general elections in September. (AFP)

Thailand: The National Legislative Assembly (NLA) convened the first session to select its president and two vice presidents. (Xinhua)

EUROPE

Region: The EU’s executive said the risk of Ebola across the EU remained “extremely low”. (AFP)

Ukraine: Local officials said that two people were killed in late-night shelling in the city of Donetsk. (AP)

Ukraine: The military said that rebels in the east had opened fire on a medical evacuation helicopter, injuring the three crew on board and forcing it to make an emergency landing. (AFP)

MIDDLE EAST

Israel: PM Netanyahu ordered the military to retaliate after rocket attacks by Gaza Palestinian militants followed the end of a three-day truce. (AFP)

Lebanon: Former premier Saad Hariri arrived back in the country after three years in self-imposed exile, and went straight into a meeting with current PM Salam. (AFP)

Syria: The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that Islamic State jihadists had captured the key Brigade 93 army base in Raqa province. (AFP)

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

Cybersecurity: Computer security experts said at this week’s hacker conference that the governments of 30 countries have voted to allow their municipal police departments to use malware in their arsenals of crime fighting tools. (VentureBeat)